Whether out of ignorance, as he claims, or with the intent of interrupting Congress, as Republicans claim, Rep. Jamaal Bowman became the talk of the internet over the weekend when he pulled a fire alarm in the Congressional office building on Saturday, as legislators tried to pass appropriations bills. Now, former President Trump is calling for Rep. Bowman to face a still legal penalty for his actions.
Rep. Bowman was caught red-handed pulling the fire alarm as fellow Democrats tried to delay the vote by legal means, with security cameras clearly showing him pulling the alarm and a screenshot of the incident shared by Capitol police going viral on Twitter.
Rep. Bowman, for his part, insists that he thought pulling the fire alarm would open the door. “I want to personally clear up confusion surrounding today’s events. Today, as I was rushing to make a vote, I came to a door that is usually open for votes but today would not open. I am embarrassed to admit that I activated the fire alarm, mistakenly thinking it would open the door. I regret this and sincerely apologize for any confusion this caused,” Rep. Bowman said.
He continued, “But I want to be very clear, this was not me, in any way, trying to delay any vote. It was the exact opposite — I was trying urgently to get to a vote, which I ultimately did and joined my colleagues in a bipartisan effort to keep our government open. I also met after the vote with the Sergeant at Arms and the Capitol Police, at their request, and explained what had happened. My hope is that no one will make more of this than it was. I am working hard every day, including today, to do my job, to do it well, and deliver for my constituents.”
Former President Donald Trump didn’t buy Rep. Bowman’s excuse a bit. Posting about the matter on Truth Social, the former president said, “Will Congressman Jamal Bowman be prosecuted and imprisoned for very dangerously pulling and setting off the main fire alarm system in order to stop a Congressional vote that was going on in D.C.“
Continuing, former President Trump noted that Rep. Bowman’s act appears to have been intended to impede Congress’ official proceedings, the same crime many of the January 6th protesters are charged with. “His egregious act is covered on tape, a horrible display of nerve and criminality. It was a very dangerous “Obstruction of an Official Proceeding,” the same as used against our J-6 prisoners,” Trump said.
Continuing, Trump said that Rep. Bowman’s brazen false alarm might have been worse than January 6th, so Rep. Bowman needs to “suffer” to the full extent of the law, saying, “Actually, his act may have been worse. HE MUST SUFFER THEIR SAME FATE. WHEN WILL HIS TRIAL BEGIN???“
Fox News Channel’s Rachel Campos Duffy made a similar point, saying, “Many people sitting in D.C. prisons right now from January 6 because they disrupted an official proceeding. Some of them in solitary confinement for nonviolent crimes, for just having been in the building. There have been morning raids on these people, and by the way, four of them have committed suicide in the process of having the FBI harass them… No fire alarms pulled by the ‘insurrectionists’ who had no weapons.“
She continued, “By the way, Representative Mike Lawler says Bowman should resign. There are other members of the House saying — Marjorie Taylor Greene, a couple of others — saying we need to get to the bottom of [this]. I really hope that the Republicans understand that they have to go all the way on this. They need an investigation, they need to get his phone. We know the FBI took the photo of another congressman during the January 6 investigation. Take his phone, see who he was communicating with, if it was coordinated in any way. The only way to stop the Democrats who have pulled no punches with Republicans is mutually assured destruction. They need to do the same thing to the Democrats as they would do to Republicans, and we know darn well if a Republican did this, the DOJ would be on it right now.“
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